2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Coastal Region

The 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 5% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and raised in 70% new French oak. The nose has ripe red-berried fruit laced with dark chocolate and a touch of mocha with commendable freshness and definition. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannins, good acidity with a crisp, focused ripe blackberry, tobacco and cedar finish that lingers nicely in the mouth. This represents a fine “New World Bordeaux” that should age nicely. Drink now-2018. Vergelegen has one of the most dramatic backdrops of any winery that I have visited. Located in Somerset West, this vast estate has a long history dating back to the 17th century, but the winery itself is thoroughly modern, not dissimilar to Pichon-Baron with its octagonal design. The estate was acquired by “Anglo American” in 1987 and two years later, they planted the first vines. They received enormous publicity when Vergelegen hosted the first unbanned meetings of the ANC. Andre van Rensberg is responsible for both the vineyards, which range between 140m and 310m in altitude, and the winemaking, and he is one of the few winemakers to have combatted leaf-roll virus head-on so that their replanting program of virus-free vines look set to bear virus-free fruit. Their portfolio focuses upon classic French grape varieties, divided into their entry-level white label range and their premium, black label range wherein the fruit is sourced exclusively from their own vines. Importer: 57 Main Street Imports, Garden City, NY; tel. (516) 357-2070

Good dark red. Blackcurrant, pepper, dark chocolate, coffee, mocha, licorice and a whiff of wild herbs on the inviting nose. Then savory, suave and dry, with a restrained sweetness to the complex flavors of dark berries, plum, pepper, licorice and minerals. This energetic cabernet really saturates the mouth with flavor, but it should put on more weight with time in bottle. Finishes lively and long, with a slight youthful austerity to the firm tannins.